Oil and gas transition plan delay
A promised plan to help Scotland shift away from North Sea oil and gas is being delayed.
SNP Government minister Michael Matheson said the document will not be released now until later this year.
He commented: "The Scottish Government committed to publishing a refresh of the 2017 energy strategy. In Parliament in June 2021, the minister for environment and land reform announced that a draft energy strategy and just transition plan would be published in spring 2022. This will now be published in autumn 2022."
Mr Matheson referred to a "fast-moving energy landscape", adding: "The revised timeline will allow time for robust evidence and analysis to be produced and take account of ongoing projects, which are progressing at pace in response to the rapidly-evolving global energy environment."
Energy Voice says the Scottish Government move comes as the UK Government prepares to publish a new energy security strategy in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and soaring domestic bills.
There have been reports the UK Government is poised to drastically ramp up its renewables targets. Solar ambitions could increase from 14 gigawatts (GW), its current capacity, to 50GW, while offshore wind goals may jump from 11GW to 50GW.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also signalled North Sea oil and gas will continue to play a vital role, as the west attempts to end its reliance on Russian energy.
The move has left the SNP Government at Holyrood facing questions over its position to Scotland's offshore sector, having ended its long-standing support for maximum recovery.
Scottish economic plan in focus
Nicola Sturgeon admitted there was "healthy scepticism" over her economic plan and said the shelves at her office were "heaving" under the weight of previous blueprints.
The Times reports that, speaking to the business community in Edinburgh yesterday, the first minister said she recognised that strategy documents "in and of themselves do not achieve anything" but vowed that the latest economic transformation plan would have outcomes at its heart.
Sir Tom Hunter, the entrepreneur and philanthropist, described the strategy as a "long wish list with no magic wand to deliver it" when it was launched earlier this month.
The Times adds that Scotland's economic policy landscape has often been criticised for being too cluttered, which produces weaker accountability and makes it more difficult to evaluate what actually worked.
Prime Minister cautious about onshore wind revolution in England
Boris Johnson has hinted he is cautious over plans for an onshore wind revolution south of the border amid Cabinet fears that it would mean thousands of turbines are built in Tory heartlands.
At a hearing of Parliament's Liaison Committee, the Prime Minister stressed his support for offshore wind in a sign that he is less convinced about the need for a major increase in projects on land.
The Telegraph says it comes amid Cabinet disagreements over a proposal to rip up 2015 planning reforms that made it almost impossible for new onshore turbines to be built. The change, which is being debated as part of a wider overhaul of energy policy, would pave the way for new wind farms across swathes of rural England.
New pay plans for the ferry industry criticised
British ports have described Grant Shapps' new pay plans for the ferry industry as "unworkable".
The BBC says the Transport Secretary has urged ports to block ferries from docking if they do not pay their crew the UK minimum wage, with plans to create new laws.
The move comes after P&O Ferries sacked 800 of its staff without notice and replaced them with agency workers.
But the boss of the ferry ports trade body raised concerns the UK Government was "rushing to find a solution".
"The ports industry is genuinely sympathetic towards the situation of the impacted seafarers, however we would suggest that ports are not the competent authorities to enforce rules on employee salaries or working conditions in the shipping industry," said Richard Ballantyne, of the British Ports Association.
The trade organisation covers more than 400 port facilities in the UK.
The UK Major Ports Group, the trade association representing large commercial ports in the UK, argued ports should not have to "be the police for the labour practices of ferry companies".
UK video games sector on the up
The value of the UK video games market continued to grow in 2021, reaching a record high of £7.16billion - an increase of 2% on 2020.
UK gamers spent more last year than they did during the height of lockdown, according to trade body UKIE.
Sales of consoles, including the much-coveted Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, brought in £1.13billion.
The BBC says UK games revenue has grown steadily in recent years. The latest figure marks an increase of 32% compared with 2019.